Superimposed embossed packing sheets

ABSTRACT

The disclosure of the present application relates to embossment between engraved rollers of a series or plurality of sheets of relatively heavypaper or similar matted fibrous materials to obtain varying patterns of rows of mound-like embossments which are arranged in successive areas, usually successive squares, longitudinally and then diagonally in respect to the main axis of the paper sheets. After embossment the sheets are passed through shorter or longer paths of travel before again being assembled so that their matching mounds and recesses will be offset in such a manner that they will not longer match. The disclosure further relates to the composite packing material and to a method and apparatus for making the same.

United States Patent [1 Gerard [5 SUPERIMPOSED EMBOSSED PACKING SHEETS [75] Inventor: George Gerard, Point, NJ.

[73] Assignee: Jiffy Manufacturing Co., Hiside,

[22] Filed: Jan. 14, 1972 [2]] App]. No.: 218,031

Related US. Application Data [60] Division of Ser. No. 68,745, Sept. 1, 1970, Pat. No. 3,668,055, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 676,573, Oct. 19, 1967, abandoned.

[52] US. Cl 156/199, 156/219, 156/220,

156/292, 156/324, 264/285 [51] Int. Cl B3lf 7/00 [58] Field of Search 156/199, 205, 209,

[5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,502,112 3/1950 Walker 264/285 X 3,416,986 12/1968 Carley 156/260 X Dec. 18, 1973 2,649,131 8/1953 Lincoln 156/197 2,763,906 9/1956 Starick 161/127 X 2,848,132 8/1958 Davous 156/197 X Primary ExaminerWilliam A. Powell Assistant Examiner-David A. Simmons AttorneyMark T. Basseches et a1.

[ 5 7] ABSTRACT The disclosure of the present application relates to embossment between engraved rollers of a series or plurality of sheets of relatively heavypaper or similar matted fibrous materials to obtain varying patterns of rows of mound-like embossments which are arranged in successive areas, usually successive squares, longitudinally and then diagonally in respect to the main axis of the paper sheets. After embossment the sheets are passed through shorter or longer paths of travel before again being assembled so that their matching mounds and recesses will be offset in such a manner that they will not longer match.

The disclosure further relates to the composite packing material and to a method and apparatus for making the same.

3 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures shorter offsets may be employed so that the peaks will partly rest on the sides of the elevations without nesting. So long as there is sufficient offset to avoid nesting, a relatively enhanced thickness will be achieved which enables the enhanced material to be used as wrapping .or sheeting for relatively fragile objects such as books,

furniture, crockery and the like.

The offset relatively coarse basically porous embossed sheets may be of lightly calendared or uncalendared kraft stock and have frictional faces so as to cling or lodge with or be in contact with mounds or other faces of the contacting sheets. The sheets are desirably only lightly calendared and are not compacted. They may vary from .003 inch to .010 inch in thickness.

The width of the mounds may range from 1/64 inch to 1/8 inch, with a preference of l/32 inch to H8 inch, and these mounds are generally arranged in rows alternately extending longitudinally and diagonally in square or rectangular areas ranging from 2 to 6 inches in width and/or length.

Desirably there is no substantial break in the embossment at the meeting portion of the squares or rectangles but the embossed portions will closely fit into each other at such meeting portions.

The sheets may be assembled together by a light ap plurality of sheets of paper may be quickly embossed and laminated without nesting and with assurance of maximum substantial volume achieved with limited stock.

Another object is to provide a paper or matted fibrous packing material which will achieve relatively large volume with limited weight per volume.

Another object is to provide an apparatus for fabricating the packing material of the present invention.

Still further objects and advantages will appear in the more detailed description set forth below, it being understood, however, that this more detailed description is given by way of illustration and explanation only and not by way of limitation, since various changes therein' may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

In accomplishing the above objects, it has been found most satisfactory to feed a series of rolls of paper stock to an assembly position, where closely matching embossed rollers having varying directed designs will emboss the same.

It has been found that to achieve a satisfactory result the embossment should consist of forming a series of closely adjacent conical mounts or recesses in the paper in areas which contact each other, with each area having the same size and shape of embossment extending in different directions. Although the areas may be arranged as a series of interlocking triangles, hexagons, rectangles or the like, it has been found most satisfactory to use rectangles or triangles.

In the simplest form of the invention, the rows of alternating mounds or recesses may extend longitudinally in one square and diagonally in the adjacent squares, or

- the alternating mounds or recesses may extend diagoplication of glue to the opposite elevated portions thereof and may be coated on the inside faces before assembly, the preferred glue being a flexible glue which will not affect the flexibility of the sheets.

However, the preferred procedure involves either assembling them with an added localized embossing or scoring to lock them together or by placing them in a BRIEF SUMMARY AND GENERAL STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION It is among the objects of the present invention to provide a novel laminated paper product or laminated fibrous product in which with relatively limited numbers 'of paper stock it is possible to obtain adequate packing material which will protect furniture, chairs, crockery, books and the like from damage or scuffing when applied thereto or wrapped there-around.

Another object is to provide an economical, high speed procedure for producing paper stock in which a nall y in one square and longitudinally or transversely in all of the adjacent squares.

The spacing of the rows and the spacing of the individual mounds and recesses from each other should be uniform throughout and may vary from l/8 to 1/4 inch with the mounds themselves varying in maximum diameter from l/l6 to 1/8 inch, although smaller mounds may be employed. Desirably, in the rows there is less of a valley or recess between the mounds than in the areabetween the rows. In the preferred construction each mound is surrounded by four recesses, while each recess is surrounded by four mounds.

Although the top and bottomof the mounds may be rounded off, their sides should be oblique or taken from a frusto-conical section.

After this embossing has been achieved on the relatively rough, coarse, matted, uncompressed and lightly calendared or uncalendaried kraft paper stock, the sheets are then fed over guide rollers which will cause an offsetting of the sheets which have been embossed together so that they will no longer match or nest together at the next assembly position. Here the sheets are fed between light compression rollers which will apply a light pressure thereto, sufficient to cause the mounds and recesses to connect together because of their inherent roughness and fiber disarray.

Although not necessary, the opposing mounds or projections might be lightly touched or covered with a glue devoid of organic solvents, such as a vegetable glue. Desirably, this coating is on a fused material with a minimum of solvent, so that there will be less tendency for vapors to form after the embossed paper sheets have been assembled together.

Generally, the superimposed sheets which have been offset in respect to the mounds and recesses are assembled so that there will be contact without nesting, which will separate the sheets by a distance varying between one-half to the full height of the mounds, and that is between l/l28 inch to as much as 3/32 inch depending upon the size of the embossment utilized to prevent return to the nesting stage or to coincidence of the mounds and recesses, with lodgment of one set of mounds and recesses with the other. It is desirable to offset the squares and triangles at least one-half of their maximum width in respect to each adjacent superimposed sheet.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention the sheets are held together in a thin calendared paper sleeve and in this condition they are used for packaging, wrapping and other purposes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter more specifically described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein is shown an embodiment of the invention, but it is to be understood that changes, variations and modifications can be resorted to which fall within the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

In the drawings wherein like reference characters denote corresponding parts throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevational view showing the manner in which the sheets are assembled, embossed and offset before a second assembly;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic plan view of several of the assembled sheets, showing the manner in which they may be superimposed upon one another to achieve maximum packing ability; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view of the assembled sheets upon the line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a series of supply rolls A, B, C, D and E of lightly calendared or uncalendared, relatively rough, coarse kraft paper of a thickness varying from .001 inch to .005 inch, but which may be up to .010 inch, which are fed together. Although five rolls are shown, it is apparent that a larger or smaller number may be used and it has been found that it is possible to handle from two to rolls at the same time.

The various rolls are fed in the direction F toward the embossing rolls G and H which have matching embossments and between which the paper sheets] are subjected to pressures between 1,000 to 10,000 pounds per square inch and preferably 2,000 to 5,000 pounds per square inch.

As shown in FIG. 2, there will be alternating areas K and L of longitudinally and transversely directed rows of embossments and diagonally directed rows of mounds and recesses L. At the junction lines M the mounds and recess will fit closely together so as not to make any break in the overall'pattern with the only change in the direction of the rows thereof.

Desirably there is a plurality of mounds arranged in one row, a plurality of recesses arranged in the next row and this arrangement continues throughout the area in the direction set forth.

After this embossment takes place, the embossed sheets N will then be caused to pass over varying spaced idler rollers P before they are passed to a new assembly position Q between the light pressure rollers R. By passing over these rollers P each sheet N will be caused to travel a different distance between the rolls G and H and the rolls R and this arrangement may be set so that each adjacent sheet will be offset by one of the squares shown in FIG. 2, with the diagonal arrangement L becoming superimposed with the straight arrangement K and with the mounds and recesses completely out of meshing or coinciding relation.

Lesser spacings may be employed if desired, so that there will be a partial offsetting, so that there will be a tendency toward partial nesting to decrease the thickness of the superimposed embossed sheets.

In the area between the offsetting rolls P and the light pressure rolls R a light covering of glue or flexible resin adhesive may be applied to the inside faces of the sheets N.

The combined sheet S is indicated in small scale in FIG. 1 and in enlarged fragmentary section in FIG. 3 and it has a series of embossed offset sheets N, which may be enclosed in a calendared or smooth envelope T, formed of top and bottom sheets which will protect the furniture or other articles being packaged from scuffing due to the rough face of the embossed sheets N.

The sheets N from one side each have a series of mounds U and recesses V which are next to each other and arranged in rows extending longitudinally or diagonally. Instead of diagonally, they may also extend at varying angles of 30 to 60 or even other intermediate angular diaplacements.

Desirably, the sides W are of conical section with the ends rounded as indicated at X. These ends may contact each other as indicated at Y in FIG. 3, or they may be offset so that they may contact the conical sides W. Usually the sheets will cling together against the lateral displacement because of their rough face.

In lieu of the smooth envelope T, there also may be employed one, two or three layers of thin tissue paper which will also run through the corrugating process and which should be used on the side which contacts the furniture or book or other material to be protected.

If desired, the smooth sheets T may be held in position by applying lines of adhesive or glue thereto, which will attach themselves to part of the mounds W in the corrugated sheets M. However, generally the entire assemblage as shown in FIG. 3 may be devoid of any glued or permanent attachment, with the adherence of the paper being sufficient.

According to the present invention the sheets may be assembled with or without gluing and with or without pinning together. Pinning involves impressing the sheets with sharp triangular points that cause the fibers of the paper laminations to become bonded to one another and this pinning operation is covered in a copending operation.

It is thus apparent that the applicant has provided a novel procedure for making laminated paper materials which will achieve maximum bulk with minimum weight, for protection of books, crockery, furniture and the like. The paper laminates, because of their rough surface, will lock with one another and also prevent side or lateral slippage. The coarse or rough embossed sheets may function effectively on packaging materials,

while their surfaces are spaced from furniture by smooth sheets or by tissue paper.

It is further apparent that applicant has provided a novel apparatus for simultaneously embossing a multiplicity of webs sequentially along the length thereof with two or more distinct patterns and with means for automatically returning the webs into contact with each other in such manner that the pattern of one sheet will engage wholly or partly against a disparate pattern formed in the adjacent sheets. 7

As many changes could be made in the above superimposed embossed packing sheets, and many widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope of the claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described the invention and illustrated its use, what is claimed as new and is desired to be secured by Letters Patent is: 7

1. The method of manufacturing a yieldable, multilayer, high bulk, low weight packing material which comprises the steps of providing a mating pair of pattern embossing rollers having discrete pattern embossing areas radially spaced apart about the periphery of said rollers, the pattern of each said area being different than that of the adjacent, radially spaced area, progressively advancing a plurality of webs from a feed station through the nip of said rollers to form a three dimensional, multilayer composite having longitudinally spaced areas of patterns, the pattern in each area differing from that in each adjacent longitudinally spaced area, thereafter separating the webs forming said composite, and thereafter longitudinally offsetting each said web relative to an adjacent web longitudinally to offset the portions of said webs which simultaneously pass the nip of said rollers, and thereafter bringing said offset webs into contact with each other to form said packing material.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said rollers are formed with different discrete patterned areas in an axial direction whereby said webs include laterally displaced areas having differing patterns.

3. The method of claim 1 and including the step of interconnecting said offset webs against substantial relative longitudinal movement. 

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said rollers are formed with different discrete patterned areas in an axial direction whereby said webs include laterally displaced areas having differing patterns.
 3. The method of claim 1 and including the step of interconnecting said offset webs against substantial relative longitudinal movement. 